This place! We met 2 of our favorite people here for dinner last night.... What a great place! The queer o meter is a solid 10. The staff were all wonderful, kind people. The pics speak for themselves I think. The drinks are huge and let me say they have a heavy pour there. They even let me tweak their spicy drink to make it a weird version of a Bloody Mary. the salsa and chips are complimentary, which I love. And both delicious. The chips are thin lightly salted and warm! Yes!!! I got the fajita. It was exactly what I was expecting and wanted. Nicely seasoned tender steak and chicken strips on slightly charred onions and peppers. If I had to complain here, it'd be I like a ton of onions and peppers. Their's is more meat heavy. Not really compliant though, am I right?! Everyone else enjoyed their meals and I have to say it's a ton of food. Not the cheapest place but I feel fair for what you get and yummy. With 7 boozy drinks, 4 entrees and couple extra "side items" ie. A horchata etc it came to about $50pp. It would've been 1/2 that without the boozy drinks for sure. Anyhoo.... Do I recommend? Absolutely! We will be back to eat and drink up another evening until our hearts content. In the meantime, enjoy your meals and... CHEERS! read more

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Grabbed take out on the way back to our new place nearby. Good quality ingredients and large portions! Had the fajitas and a burrito. All was good, only suggestion was to add some spice, pretty mild so maybe grab hot sauce read more

El Tapatio is still a hometown favorite for a reason! I hadn't been in about five years, but the food and service are just as amazing as I remember. I had the carne asada--perfectly cooked and full of flavor--and the mango margarita was the perfect balance of sweet and refreshing. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and consistently delicious food. So glad I came back! read more

This place is outstanding. The food is genuinely delicious, serving authentic Mexican cuisine. My absolute favorite is the three combo, which includes an enchilada, burrito, tamale, and chimichanga. The customer service consistently exceeds expectations read more

El Tapatio - Combo dinner special - Mexican Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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I really like this place. I like the-no LOVE- the service. I like getting chips and salsa, as soon as I'm seated- and that it's the tastiest salsa I have had at a restaurant in YEARS!!!. I like that the staff is so attentive, friendly and courteous. And I like colorful walls and how it feels festive. The pina colada margarita I had was frozen. I didn't pay attention to the menu picture. I'm not really a fan of frozen drinks because they are difficult,for me, to drink through a straw. It was good but next time I'll get a margarita that isn't frozen. It was national margarita day, so I was disappointed there wasn't a special. $12 for a margarita is a bit steep , to me.But will this stop me from returning? I think not. read more

They win the prize for worst food ever. I got fish tacos. When they arrived it was not at all what was described or expected. The fish was a funny grey color, smelled funny, the rice was dry and everything else on the plate looked old. I complained to server and all she said was that's how it comes. Not even do you want something else or can I do anything to make it better. The others in my party got steak dishes that were so tough and tasteless they couldn't chew it. So there's 100 bucks I'll never get back. We all were on the toilet shortly after. Never again. read more

A very pleasant experience, we had eaten at the old location one of our last visits to the area. We started with some margaritas and they were good and strong so thumbs up for the drinks. We had the sampler plate which was a great size and had some tasty stuff on it. I also had 2 tacos and the chicken was just the way I liked it moist and flavorful. Overall we all had a great. Is it and we will definitely return. read more

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I was in town from out of state and stopped in for lunch. The menu is big and everything sounded amazing! I ended up ordering the Enchiladas Tapatio dinner because I was starving. I took half home and enjoyed it again for dinner! The chicken is stewed/shredded and so tender, same for the shredded beef. Delicioso! I will be back! read more

El Tapatio - Enchiladas Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

I would recommend the North Kingston restaurant over this one. The food was average and the atmosphere was weird as this restaurant was in an old IHOP. The alcohol pours were great. We tried this location twice but it never impressed us like the North Kingston location. I guess my expectations were based on the original restaurant. I would definitely go here for Mexican food when back in Cranston. read more

Best Mexican in Rhode Island, end of story! Best burritos and tacos around, the addition of Taco Tuesday is only going to make it even better! Tony read more

Everything was great from beginning to end. Started off with a raspberry margarita, it packed a good punch. The chips were warm and fresh and the salsa was nice and spicy homemade. I got the El Pastore tacos. They were very good I had them with a side of spicy green tomatillo sauce. Finished up with fried ice cream, they do their's with a cinnamon ice cream. It was a little overwhelming with so much cinnamon I would've preferred just a vanilla ice cream but that's just me. All in all it was five stars for us. read more

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This is definitely a far cry from the original El Tapatio on Atwood Ave and the one in North Kingstown. From afar, the food looks great but the descriptions and tastes are not so much. The exterior and interior tile work seem inviting until you sit and notice the stress cracked walls, scuffed paint and sticky/tackiness of the tabletop that should not be of an establishment opened for the short length that it has been. The dishes ordered were not comparable to the descriptions. The steak tapatio was ordered due to the sound of its description of "Tender strips of sirloin steak sautéed with tomatoes and onions. Served with our special coleslaw, rice, beans, tortillas and guacamole." And what was received was a stewed potato and steak with rice and beans on the same plate all drowning in a sauce that tasted like Manhattan clam style chowder. This was brought up to the waitress and we were assured multiple times that it was the correct dish, even though it was obviously not. The other dish ordered was camarones arroz, which was a mash up of a few different dishes from the menu. This dish has a description of "Jumbo shrimp sautéed in a garlic butter with mushrooms, onions and green peppers. Served with a special mild sauce over rice. Garnished with avocado and sour cream." The shrimp was cooked in a tomato based sauce like the camarones arrieros, It had pico de gallo like the camarones diablo and none of it was served over rice. The waitress noticed that the dishes were not finished and we opted not to take them to go and she discounted one of the dishes. Even with this, the experience leaves us with no ambition to give it another sit down. It was very disappointing. read more

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We haven't had a good dine-in Mexican restaurant nearby in a while. El Tapatio opened this location during the pandemic; not a good start. I finally got in there this week. Though limiting capacity there were quite a few people safely separated. We were offered a bowl of nachos and deliciously spicy salsa. We each had a margarita, I had the rosarita which has cranberry juice and a bit of lime and it was perfect. For dinner I had the fajita salad and my husband had the chimichanga with shredded beef. The food was tasty and extremely fresh tasting. The service was friendly and efficient. It is a casual restaurant, no need to break out the fancy duds. This restaurant is a great addition to the area. We will be back! read more

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Good food and service!! Great Don Julio margaritas!!!! Been here nany times with family and friends! read more

absolutely love el tapatio!!! delicious food & amazing margaritas. i always recommend this place & i can't wait to come back. need chips & salsa & a blue marg immediately! read more

El Tapatio - margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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The good doesn't have good flavor And the servís are bad need to put attention on the costumer read more

Back again. We love this place. Food is always cooked to perfection and the service is top notch. I had the carnitas platter and it was amazing. My wife had the Chimichanga platter and enjoyed it immensely. Never ever had any disappointment coming here. You must go. read more

El Tapatio - Pork Carnitas platter - Mexican Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

This location disappointed me, yes menu items were the same yet that's all I can say, chips and salsa were given as a complimentary starter yet we were given very spicy salsa, weren't even asked if we wanted it mild or spicy, our waitresses for the majority spent her time at the bar talking to other customers and barely spoke to us, she came up to us twice, once to bring out our food and another time when we were ready to box up our leftovers. I'm surprised because the wickford location the waiters are attentive to their customers. I fell sorry for even recommending to my children to come here. In my opinion there wasn't much ambiance about this place, I know if I was the owner of this place I'd be ashamed. Update, business owner replied and because of the tone i won't be going back read more

Nice place. It is an old IHOP so the space is a little tight however, they had good food as well as good service. I order tacos which was very good and flavorful. Alongside i ordered one of their specialty beverages and that was also very good. I would go back to try other things on their menu. read more

El Tapatio - two burritos on a plate - Mexican Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

Location is odd but easy to find....an old A-Frame one used by IHOP with congested parking. Interior was a bit 90's Era out dated BUT, staff friendly and fast. Salsa was spicy the way I like, my meal was definitely 5 stars....Dessert, not so much. No regrets, I'll try again read more

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I used to like this place, but this last dining experience was terrible. overcooked ground beef enchiladas, which dripped with grease. never again. read more

This is a great classic Mexican restaurant. The staff are happy to serve you, and enjoy working there, you can tell. Their stuffed poblano is out of this world, but everything is delicious. Fresh guacamole, draft beer from Mexico, and other appetizers make this a must visit. The best sit-down Mexican in RI. read more

I was hesitant to come here, but glad I did. The food was great & so were the drinks. The customer service was 10/10. read more

El Tapatio - Fajita for 2 - Mexican Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

Super nice staff. Very helpful and accommodating. Food was very satisfying. I'll definitely return and try other items.

Excellent Mexican Food! Nice people. Complimentary chips and delicious salsa. Atmosphere and music was fun and delightful. read more

El Tapatio - Chimichanga- delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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Worst Mexican food I've ever had (and I've had a lot). Nachos limp and soggy, refried beans with little flavor and way too much salt, needed a microscope to detect the meat in the tacos. read more

Great food, huge portions, great service. Got enchiladas and a 3 piece combo. Solid food, unique tastes. Delightful tamale!!

Food is really really really good. Food is authentic. I went with a world renowned chef. He even said it was really good and authentic. Phantom food. Waitress is on point. Fast service. read more

Ordered take-out. Got my order wrong and had the nerve to add their own tip to my card. I guess stealing a few dollars is more important than getting repeat business. read more

Was not pleased at all with the chicken fajitas. Big chunks of chicken that barely and spice/taste to it. So bland and not cooked thoroughly at all. Diet Coke had a weird taste to it. Not sure where all these good reviews came from- can't agree with any of the positive reviews.... read more

Delicious food! The seafood platter was especially unique and delightful. We brought in six kids and it was a family friendly environment.

Terrible service; we were asking for our drinks and utensils even after our order was brought over. The food was not good at all, the chicken and stake were rubbery and tamales were smothered with meat sauce which was not mentioned in the menu. After the check was brought, it was a good 15 minutes before my card was picked up for checkout. It was not busy for that kind of waiting. Will not recommend and will not eat here again...wish it was still the Scramblers that was in the same location years ago. read more

Good food, good service, reasonable prices. I've tried that burritos here several times and they are quite good. I've only tries a few mexican places in Providence but this is the best so far. Not outstanding, but the burritos are reasonable size and have plenty of meat. read more

First time I've ever eaten here this past weekend, but already to go back!! Place was very busy but we were able to get seated right away. We didn't order an appetizer bc we wanted to wait for our dinners so we had the usual "chips & dips" that they give you. 2 kinds of salsa were served with them, both were very hot! The chips didn't have any salt on them. I like the salted ones! I ordered the chicken chimichanga combo plate and my boyfriend got the enchilada combo plate. Both came with brown beans and Spanish rice. SO good!!! My chimichanga was beautiful golden brown & not greasy. The enchiladas? Even better!! Definitely a restaurant you should try if craving Mexican food! read more

What a great place.. food was delicious, service was top notch and restaurant was so clean. My new favorite Mexican place..

Food was great during lunch. Odd that guacamole was not available. The waitress was far more into her phone than providing service. It took a long time to be able to order dessert. We had our money and cards out to pay long before the check was provided. The website offers a lunch menu. That was not offered to us in the dining room (between 1-2) pm. This place could be great. They need to work on advertising and staff. read more

Very good and quick service. Food was absolutely delicious and as a Mexican this has my stamp of approval.

I've ordered a few times and every time, the food has been fresh, perfectly seasoned and not oily or greasy at all. I love the side of chips and fresh salsa that comes with each order. Will definitely be ordering more in the future. read more

So glad they returned to Cranston, we missed you! The food is amazing and authentic, reminds me of home cooked meals back in Southern CA. Portion size is super plentiful, with all the added "fixings" you would want, including delicious salsas, tomatillo sauce, and the Best Guacamole and Tortilla Chips on the East Coast. Clean space, not as decorative and homey as the prior location on Atwood Ave, but doesn't seem to detract from the delicious food. Only have two not-so-great comments: 1. the Spinach Quesadilla was completely soggy and congealed, sitting in a puddle of grease, sorry to say it was basically inedible, thinking the spinach wasn't strained or wasn't prepared well; 2. the young man at the checkout counter has an awful attitude and could not care less that a customer just spent $100+ at his restaurant, zero customer service ability and extremely rude, not sure if he is family or related to the owners but he is definitely a reason I would not return. read more